


Collaborative Deviations

by ThirstOrder3987



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Appalachia, Beer, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben is just too Solo to be anything else., Bisexuality, Childhood Trauma, Drunken Shenanigans, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mountains, Polyamory, Sharing a Bed, Snowboarding, This is not a Reylogan fic, but it was origionaly supposed to be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:33:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26622958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirstOrder3987/pseuds/ThirstOrder3987
Summary: A trip to Boone, NC has brewery owners Ben Solo and Poe Dameron learning a lot more about themselves and the lifelong friendship they share.What really governs attraction? Can a love story be too big to contain between two people?Those are two questions they never thought they’d have to answer during a collaboration with Rey Starkiller and Jannah Calrissian, a married couple who own the brewery they're set to collaborate with.The venture leads the four young business owners on a journey they never expected.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron/Jannah, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 41
Kudos: 28





	1. Who Jumps First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter One Summary- Ben and Poe set out on a business trip together. Having to share a bed leads to a night neither will ever forget. 
> 
> Notes on regional terms- if there’s a word you don’t understand right away, look to the end of the chapter where I’ve included descriptions of regional terminology.

“I FUCKING HATE this FUCKING DRIVE!!!” Ben yelled into the windshield of his Subaru as the line of cars in front of him split evenly between the right lane and the passing lane. 

As expected, the cars remained in the same horrifically frustrating alignment- blocking both lanes for all of the short half mile where the passing zone existed.

Ben groaned as the passing lane came to an end and they found themselves right back where they’d been before, behind numerous vehicles with out-of-state tags heading up Linville Gorge. The twisting two lane road that snaked through the gorge was made up entirely of turns which none the cars in front of them knew how to handle. 

“Would you expect any less from leafers heading up the mountain?” Poe noted from the passenger seat. 

Ben hadn’t even thought about leaf week when he made plans for them to head up to Boone together. Leaf season was something all Western North Carolina residents tried to put at the back of their minds for most of the year. The High Country’s leaf week being a few weeks earlier than Asheville’s hadn’t helped him remember that detail. 

The words “leaf week” hadn’t entered his mind at all yet this year- or they hadn’t until he found himself driving through what were clearly High Country leaf week crowds. 

“These people are _idiots…” ___Ben sighed as their journey meandered on ten to twenty miles under the speed limit. His soul died a little each time the Honda CRV in front of him hit the breaks when a car approached from the other direction.

The SUV abruptly came to a stop inside a corner as an approaching car began rounding the curve at the same time. Ben had no choice but to slam on the breaks to avoid rear-ending them.

“They have THEIR OWN FUCKING LANE!” He screamed. “Just STAY IN YOURS and EVERYTHING will be FINE!” 

“Tell ‘em buddy.” Poe tried hard not to laugh as he said it. “I’m sure someone will hear you one of these days.” In the decade and half that they’d been old enough to make this drive together, Ben’s ranting about tourist’s driving had become as much a natural part of the trip as the scenery itself. With Ben’s need to be in control, Poe was more than happy to sit in the passenger’s seat and observe the drive’s dramatic events as they unfolded.

Eventually they reached the top of the gorge and the road flattened out. Those in front of them slowed all at once as they came to the tri county fork where the road split in two. 

Ben scrubbed his hand over his face as he leaned against the window. Having yelled for the past fifteen minutes straight, he finally appeared to be resigned to his fate. 

“Time to make a fucking assessment- _Georgia. “ ___He said, referring to the out of state tag.

The CRV was having a hard time deciding if they were supposed to keep going straight to Boone or turn right for Linville. Finally they chose to avoid making a decision altogether. They slowly pulled off to the left, turning into the parking lot of Louise’s Rock House restaurant to grab dinner. 

“THANK YOU!” Ben yelled to his left as they passed.

By now Poe couldn’t hold back from laughing.

“Oh, that’s funny, is it?” Ben muttered, seething with rage as he glared at the unmistakable Florida tag on the white Porsche they now found themselves behind. 

“This drive is a lot more entertaining when you’re the one at the wheel- yes.” He admitted cheerfully.

Ben leaned his head back into the headrest, appearing to question whether or not life was worthwhile in a world where Florida drivers existed.

After several minutes he sighed heavily, deciding it was worth it to live another day.

“I’m glad one of us is having fun.” He grumbled as they came to a stop to allow two cars to turn off for the road to Plum Tree. 

“Don’t hold back on my account.” Poe replied, knowing what was up ahead in the next few minutes.

He watched Ben pondering those words as he did his best not to have a nervous breakdown from the indecision happening in front of them.

“What makes you think I’m holding back?” Ben asked, as they got moving again.

“The fact that you haven’t passed anyone since before North Cove.” 

Ben scoffed. “There haven’t exactly been any usable passing zones.” 

“The Ben I went to App with didn’t wait for passing zones- and you had a Jeep back then. Don’t tell me a brand new WRX is slowing you down?”

A slow smile spread across Ben’s face. He knew this mountain road better than the back of his own hand, and could make this drive blindfolded if need be. He knew exactly what Poe was getting at.

Several minutes later he spotted what they’d both been waiting for- a straightaway coming up that stretched through several Christmas tree fields...

...one with plenty of open hills to see far enough ahead.

He downshifted, allowing a few car lengths between himself and the Florida Porsche.

Poe smiled as he instinctively grabbed the hand-hold above him, knowing his encouragement had hit it’s mark.

Pausing just long enough to scan the hill tops and see that no cars were approaching, Ben knew right when to make his move. 

Just before entering the straightaway he pinned it. In seconds he’d redlined and upshifted several gears successively, feeling the cars energy roaring around them telling him just when to do so. 

Before the Porsche knew what was happening, a blur of blue flew past them at twice the speed they were doing. 

“Ha-HA!” Poe laughed as they rounded the third car. Ben had already hit his breaking point and began down shifting as he let the engine aid the brakes, slowing their reentry to the appropriate lane. 

“Now that’s more like it!” Poe grinned. “We might actually make it to Boone before dark after all.”

“Don’t bet on it.” Ben sighed as they slowed down to a crawl 30 seconds later for another line of cars.

***** 

“We’ve got you booked in Room 204, A king on the side with a view.” 

“I’m sure Lowe’s Foods is gorgeous this time of year.” Poe said under his breath.

The front desk attendant appeared unamused by his humor. 

“Did you say king?” Ben asked. “I made sure to make the reservation for two queens.”

The desk attendant checked his computer screen again. His dealings with the public at the start of leaf week had already made him about as sympathetic to humanity’s ills as Ben was after driving through them. 

Staring at it for a few moments he turned back to look at him. “Looks like with all the families we had booking this week we didn’t have one left. Since your reservation only had two people you were put in a room with a king. Sorry about that.”

Ben and Poe had been best friends for as long as they could remember, and their families had been close much longer than that. As familiar as they were with each other, the prospect of sharing a bed was one that made both men’s pulses skyrocket. 

“I’m sure y’all have like a cot or something we could get sent to the room?” Poe asked casually.

The apathetic desk attendant looked back at the screen again. Being fully booked with families for the week, as expected all the cots had been spoken for as late as it was in the evening. 

“Looks like we don’t have any left.” He noted. “Is that gonna be a problem?”

Ben and Poe stared forward blankly, doing their best to avoid eye contact. Neither wanted to be the first to make it seem like this would be an issue. 

“Yeah, uh… no that’s, that’s fine.” Ben stammered, nervously shoving his hair out of his face.

Poe stared off in the other direction, not about to question it. 

A couple minutes later they entered the room together, throwing their stuff down on the floor as the lights flickered on. 

Neither could avoid awkwardly staring at the bed, feeling their heart rates accelerating.

“You want to call an uber and grab a beer?” Ben asked. “It’s only nine… we could go check out Heartsong since we’ve not actually seen the taproom.”

“Good call.” Poe agreed. “It would be helpful for a collaboration if we’d actually visited their taproom before meeting them.” 

More to the point, he was nowhere near ready to face the prospect of sharing a bed with his best friend without any liquid courage to make things less awkward.

*****

Bartenders Jayelle and Connix of Heartsong brewing had just begun getting a head start on closing duties at the end of a long day. Being the beginning of leaf weak, today’s rush had been a sign of what was to come. They did their best to keep their spirits up as they heard the door opening- signaling stragglers coming in the last hour before closing who were likely to keep them busy until well after last call. 

Looking to see who’d come in, they found themselves pleasantly surprised. 

Two of the most handsome men they’d ever seen had just entered the space- striking figures who’s sudden appearance at this late hour caused the gazes of both women to remain firmly distracted from whatever they’d been doing. 

Watching the men approach her cousin at the bar, Jayelle grinned at Connix with a smile that roughly translated to “You lucky bitch”.

“I’m guessing Jannah and Rey aren’t here at this late hour?” Ben asked as he reached the bar first. 

The woman behind the bar responded in an Appalachian accent that made it clear she was from this neck of the woods

“Sorry to say they lit out a few ‘airs ago.” Well… not _that ___sorry if it meant she got to keep these two entertained in her bosses absence. “Why? You two know ‘em?”

“We haven’t actually met in person, just emails back and forth...” Ben explained, his own dialect unintentionally becoming a bit more Appalachian as he responded to the familiar speech of a native. “My buddy Poe and I own Dark Pilot brewing in Asheville. Our taproom manager Rose is a friend of theirs. She suggested we co-llab with them since we have similar styles. Everything we’ve had from y’all so far has been outstanding, so we got in touch right away. We’re meetin’ up with them tomorrow, but figured we stop by tonight since we just got to town.”

“Rose knows us well enough to know we’re not about pass up an excuse to visit our old stompin’ grounds.” Poe added, his speech also gaining a more laid back regional tone. 

Being a High Country native, Connix knew what that mean. 

“What year’d ya graduate?” She asked. 

“0-9” Ben answered.

“Huh…” The 22 year old couldn’t help briefly looking at them like they were relics- a look they were used to as they got it every time they came back as alumni. “Town has changed quite a bit since then…” She added, trying to keep the conversation going. 

“Safe to say if this much good beer had been around back then, we never would’ve graduated on time.” Poe laughed.

“If ever.” Ben scoffed. “We’d probably still be here if that were the case.”

“Damn shame yer not…” Connix said under her breath.

“What, now?” Ben asked, not having heard her fully.

“Oh, nothin’…” She smiled. “You gentlemen thinkin’ of havin’ a drink tonight?” 

“Absolutely.” Poe sighed.

“Fan-tastic.” Connix brought out out several sample glasses. “Would y’all like to try a few things before jumpin’ in?”

“You read our minds.” Ben replied. 

_Bit more like wishful thinkin’… ___She thought to herself. Wheras most stragglers before closing would have received the typical efficient service, Connix was fully prepared to serve these two as long as they were content to sit in front of her.

After sampling nearly the entire menu a couple times over, both finally settled on a Belgian Tripel and a Russian Imperial Stout- two drinks that let Connix know these men were every bit the industry professionals they claimed to be. 

Of course she had no way of knowing they’d have typically gone with something lower gravity at this late hour on a work night, but needed the boost to face what awaited them at their hotel room once they got back. 

Having picked their poisons, the two men got comfortable at a table together at the edge of the room to let the bar staff get back to closing. After a little while Connix couldn’t help but notice how the more they enjoyed their chosen beverages, the more their eyes lingered on each other. 

At one moment Ben went to grab his beer. He accidentally grabbed Poe’s glass at the same time Poe reached for his, his hand covering Poe’s completely as it encircled the glass.

“OH… sorry.” Ben jumped immediately as he realized what he’d done. 

“No worries.” Poe replied, his eyes pausing on the part of his hand that had just felt so warm with Ben’s covering it. 

Once Ben had the right glass in hand, both men took generous sips of their beer, returning right away to whatever it was they’d been talking about. 

Connix’s eyes narrowed on them as she noticed the exchange. She suddenly found herself glad they’d sat facing slightly away from her. It made it easier to keep a curious eye on them without being too obvious. 

As attractive as they were, Ben and Poe got plenty of looks wherever they went. It was a fact of life both of them rarely ever noticed. 

Through high school and college and their young adult lives, women had come and gone for both of them. None had ever stayed around for too long. Though both were very much into women, neither one of them had ever been able to find what they needed in another person. The irony of having such a close best friend was that no one ever seemed to understand them as well as each other. 

There happened to be a complicating factor in their love lives that neither had ever voiced. One very specific attraction they’d never been able to understand- The one they shared for each other. 

By all accounts they were certain they were into women. They’d always been drawn to date women and hadn’t really ever given another man a second thought. The only problem was the more women that came into their lives, the more they just ended up thinking about each other. 

With all that combined sexual tension going on, naturally they were oblivious as ever to the fact that the two women working the bar had been paying closer attention to them than the rest of the customers in the taproom. 

“Lawrd’ave mercy… if those two aren’t _adorable.” ___Jayelle said to Connix as she came back behind the bar.

“Been a bit-of-a difficult evenin’ focusin’ on closin’ up.” Connix agreed as she finished sweeping the small area she’d been working on for some time.

“No kiddin’...” Jayelle couldn’t help studying their interactions. She did her best to remain subtle, pretending to be firmly focused on restocking glassware. “Them two together?” She finally asked. 

Connix paused, resting her hands on the top of her broom as she chanced a side eye their way. She made sure to whisper what she said next. 

“Honestly… I’ve been tryina figure that out for damn near ten minutes! For the life of me, I can’t tell… I did happin’ta catch they’re brewers and business partners- which of course neither _confirms ___nor _rules that out.” ___

“They’aint local, are they?” Jayelle did her best to pick glassware that needed hanging above the bar. That placement ensured she could keep looking their way while appearing to be focused on a task. “I’m sure I’d’a remember seein’em two ‘round here before.”

“They wenta App but they’re from Asheville. They’re in town a few days to co-llab with Jannah and Rey.”

Jayelle smirked happily. “Oh? So we’ll be seein’em two ‘round here more often?”

“I’d hope so.” Connix replied, standing right next to Jayelle as she pretended to be focused on changing out tips below the bar. “Like I said, they happin’ta mention they went to App, so they love comin’ta the high country to visit.”

Jayelle couldn’t help but sigh as the two men looked at each other- their eyes stealing glances here and there at each other’s lips. 

“I tell ya what… “ Jayelle whispered. “If alumni all looked like that- tailgatin’d be a spectator sport. The parkin’ lots would require more bleachers than _the damn stadium.” ___

Connix ducked behind the bar as she burst out laughing. 

“That’s the gods honest truth!” She mouthed as she looked up at Jayelle.

Ben and Poe turned to see what the sudden commotion behind the bar was about. 

They couldn’t help but smile, and took hearing the staff laughing about something as a good sign. Any brewery that kept their staff happy enough to have a blast together while closing definitely had to be run by cool people.

***** 

Having been served as many drinks as the bartenders could manage within the legal limits of operating hours, Ben and Poe did their best to Uber back to the hotel and stumble up to their room. 

As they got ready for bed, not a whole lot was said between them. Both just did their best not to stare too noticeably as they caught sight of the other changing out of the corner of their eye. 

Standing at the foot of the bed a few minutes later, both realized the longer they stood there the weirder it would be. Both thought to turn to look at each other for a moment but decided against it. 

Poe was the first brave enough to climb into bed, doing his best to act natural as he turned and faced the wall. 

As Ben followed and lay staring out toward the window, he suddenly realized not much had been said in several minutes. It felt really weird for neither to have said anything while being in the same room for that long.

“Night!” He suddenly blurted out, hoping to break the awkward silence. 

“Night.” Poe sighed. Ben’s outburst let him know he was every bit as nervous as he appeared to be. Of course that wasn’t anything new. Ben being nervous about a situation made as much sense as the sky being blue. 

Both laid facing the opposing walls for several minutes, hoping against hope that they could somehow fall asleep.

_Please for the love of god go the fuck to sleep. ___Poe kept thinking to himself. After some time his convincing demeanor actually turned out to have an effect on him self. Eventually his eyes slowly fell shut as he drifted into a light sleep.

On the left side of the bed Ben’s eyes still remained wide open staring at the warmth of the streetlights glowing through the window. His mind spun with a whirlwind of thoughts he couldn’t seem to quiet.

The longer he laid there, the clearer it became that falling asleep would be as easy as ignoring the very real attraction he had for his best friend… an attraction that felt as if it were getting stronger by the moment as their bodies laid next to each other. 

He did his best to shut his eyes and lay there, focusing on the silence in the room...

As he did Poe’s breathing became heavier, indicating he’d fallen asleep. The extra quad he’d ordered at last call appeared to have worked out for him. 

Ben was a ball of anxiety as he tried to figure out just what to do.

All the things that felt soothing and comfortable about where he found himself were the last things he wanted to focus on.

The feeling of Poe’s warmth lying next to him… 

Hearing him breathing softly in his sleep…

It was just like all the sleepovers they’d had as kids….

God, lying next to each other was such a beautiful feeling… 

Suddenly he realized he’d been focusing on everything that felt right about laying next to Poe a little too much. 

His cock was rock hard as ever- and only getting worse by the moment. 

_Son of a bitch… ___He thought to himself. This was just what he’d hoped to avoid having made sure to reserve two separate beds. Unfortunately the hotel booking staff had no way of understanding the seriousness of the situation, thus he found himself where he was…

In bed next to his best friend with an erection that refused to be ignored.

Desperately he tried to think of something to make it go away. 

That was an entirely wasted effort. 

Anytime he tried to clear his mind and think of other things, the first clear thought that came into his mind was about was how wonderful it felt to be right where he was. 

Which was exactly where he didn’t want to be.

Or shouldn’t want to be. 

Even though he _did ___actually very much want to be here.

Goddamnit… it was _maddening. ___

After dealing with his current existential crisis for some time, he was somehow able to accept the fact that he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until he took care of what needed taking care of. 

He listened for a moment to confirm that Poe was in as deep a sleep as he’d hoped. His breathing let him know that was the case. It was just the reassurance he needed, knowing Poe was the heavier sleeper between the two of them. 

For a moment he remembered all their childhood camping trips together- how storms could be raging and Poe would sleep right through them. College had only proved how talented of a sleeper he was. Poe’s apartment could be filled with rowdy partiers, and he’d still manage to fall asleep as soon as he felt tired. 

It was a talent Ben typically couldn’t help but envy.

Under these circumstances however, it was one he was grateful for. 

Mindlessly Ben reached down and started touching himself. His cock ached for the stimulation his hand was immediately able to deliver. Right away he knew he needed more. 

His hand fell into a primal rhythm as his palm drifted up and down his shaft.

It didn’t take long before Ben was fully absorbed in his masturbation, thinking about every single thing he knew he shouldn’t be.

This wasn’t the first time he’d touched himself thinking of Poe. This was just the first time he’d been forced to do so with him in the room. The forbidden nature of it should have held him back… and yet somehow… it just made everything he was doing that much more exciting. 

After several minutes Ben was thoroughly swept away with the thoughts flooding his mind. A moan fell from his mouth as his head craned towards the headboard, his back arching as his body struggled to feel the most of everything he was doing to himself.

While alcohol might have made it easier for Poe to fall asleep, one fact Ben hadn’t accounted for was it also made deep sleep harder to maintain. 

Whereas the constant din of a storm or a party raging around him wouldn’t have caught Poe’s attention, the alluring sounds and rapid movement coming from his best friend right next to him had his eyes fluttering awake.

As the reality of consciousness materialized around him, Poe couldn’t believe the sounds he found himself waking up to. 

Was Ben _really ___doing what it sounded like he was doing?

God it felt _so beautiful ___to hear the sounds he was making…

As much as he wanted to just lay there and listen to it, he knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. Ben deserved to know he wasn’t the only one conscious in the room. 

Remaining firmly facing the wall, Poe knew he’d need to say something to let him know he was awake. 

“Ben… are you…” was all he could get out. He realized right away there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d actually be able to finish that sentence.

Ben froze the moment he heard his name.

His heart dropped immediately.

All at once he couldn’t breathe.

The fear that had made things exciting seconds before became very real as he suddenly found himself right in the middle of his worst nightmare…

His eyes shut tightly as his face twisted with regret. He wished with everything he had that he could just disappear.

The couple of seconds of no response from Ben made Poe’s heart jump.

That pretty much confirmed what he was sure was happening... 

He couldn’t help but feel both terrified and exhilarated by the thought.

Could it really be possible that Ben had been struggling with all the same things he had?

Had he really missed so much as long as they’d known each other?

Maybe there really was more to the friendship they’d shared all this time…

Poe tried to reassure himself as doubt threatened to take hold.

The last thing either of them needed in this moment was for him to be doubtful. He was always the believer between the two of them when Ben wasn’t sure what to do. Whenever there was a barrier they needed to get over, Poe was always the first to attempt a leap of faith... 

He’d been the first to jump off highest rocks into mountain swimming holes as kids.  
He’d been the first of the two of them to know where he wanted to go to college.  
He’d even been the first one brave enough to voice the idea of starting their own business together and setting out on their own. 

No matter the path they found themselves on, as soon as Ben saw Poe believed in it, he would always prove to be just as committed to their shared adventures if not more so. He was always happy to take on a challenge knowing his best friend was by his side. 

As confusing as the moment they found themselves in was, Poe knew if they were going to figure out whatever was happening- he would need to be the one to say something.

“It’s... alright.” He finally said into the darkness, hoping his words were well received.

Ben continued laying totally silent next to him, as motionless as he’d been a few seconds before. 

Poe realized he’d need a bit more encouragement before he responded. “It’s ok, I mean, there’s nothing wrong with-“

“I know there’s nothing wrong with it.” Ben blurted out defensively, his eyes still firmly shut. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. “We’re both adults. I just… I’m really sorry I’m doing it now.”

The pain in Ben’s voice made it clear he was totally humiliated by what had just happened. 

Poe swallowed hard. It was now or never.

Turning to lay flat on his back and stare up at the ceiling, he did his best to make sure there was no confusion about what he was saying. “No… I mean… there’s nothing wrong… with you doing it here… now.”

Ben slowly opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling as well. His thoughts had him physically drawn in by that beautiful revelation, though he still hadn’t found the courage to turn to face him yet.

Both men breathed heavily as they waited for Ben’s response.

Ben struggled for several moments as he tried to think of what to say to that.

“Are… are you saying… you _want ___me doing it now?” Ben asked, desperately needing clarification.

Poe sighed, his eyes closing. He couldn’t believe what he was actually about to say.

“I’m saying… if you want to do that now… if being next to me is what made you do that… I’m ok with it. I’m-” He took a deep breath. “With you laying next to me right now… it’s hard for me not to want to do the same.”

Ben’s mind _exploded ___as Poe’s words set in.

He’d never heard anything so _incredible. ___

For several moments he found it hard to believe the words he’d just heard had actually been said…

Ben’s silence had Poe thinking he’d somehow miscalculated.

His breath caught in his chest as he felt himself panicking. 

“I- I’m sorry man-“ Poe stammered, trying to think of what else he could possibly say to make this right. “I didn’t mean-“

“DON’T be.” Ben said firmly.

Finally Ben found the courage to turn his head to the right and look at him. 

“Don’t be _what?” ___Poe said heavily, his gaze firmly fixed on the ceiling.

“Don’t be _sorry.” ___Ben replied, unsure where the words were coming from. He’d never felt so sure about anything that needed to be said in all his life. “I don’t ever want you to be sorry about being honest with me- and, I definitely don’t ever want you to be sorry about that.”

Poe turned his head to look at him, his eyes wide as he felt himself wondering if he’d heard that right.

Their vision fully adjusted to the darkness, it felt as if they were seeing each other for the first time.

They could all but hear each other’s hearts pounding in their chests. 

Both had imagined what this moment might be like. 

Both found it impossible to believe it was actually happening.

Thankfully the look in each other’s eyes confirmed to both of them that this was in fact happening.

With that realization- neither could have held back if their life depended on it.

Their eyes fell to their lips as they rolled into each other, pulling their bodies close as they kissed for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two getting hot and heavy the night before they meet the ladies… this should get interesting.
> 
> I told myself I wasn’t going to start another fic until I finished another but this one was just too good to let sit on the back burner! This story is going to be a fun one with lots of shenanigans and regional character for the part of the world I call home. I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! 
> 
> In my canonverse fics I have notes on canon, in my historic AU I have notes on history, so in my modern Appalachian AU it only makes sense I have notes on the region.
> 
> An Explanation of Appalachian Regional Terms- 
> 
> “The mountains” (plural)- All of the mountains in Appalachia.
> 
> “The mountain” (singular)- A region of land higher than another region. Going between regions with different elevations requires driving up and down steep highways as the transition is made. For example, heading from Charlotte (elevation <1000ft) to Asheville (elevation >2000ft) would be “heading up the mountain.” And going from Asheville to Charlotte would be “heading down the mountain.” 
> 
> At the same time, going from Asheville (elevation >2000ft) to Boone (>3000 ft) would also be “heading up the mountain”, and going from Boone to Asheville would be “heading down the mountain”. Even though both Asheville and Boone are in mountainous regions, “the mountain” being referred to is always whichever region is higher than the other.
> 
> “On the mountain” – Being in one of these higher regions, compared to lower regions. Example “I was on the mountain this weekend (Boone) but now I’m in town (Asheville).”
> 
> The High Country- The region around Boone.
> 
> Leafers- Tourists who come to see the leaves change in the mountains in the fall. 
> 
> App- Nickname for Appalachian State University.


	2. Letting Go, Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Poe discover the depths of their passions for each other as they share a night neither will ever forget. 
> 
> [](https://ibb.co/k3qxfww)  
> Artist Credit- GayloBen

Everything Ben and Poe had held back from each other over the years began to pour out of them in the form of messy, frantic kisses, combined with the desperate pulling and tearing off of what little clothing they’d worn to bed. Eventually they found themselves fully naked under the covers, tangled up in a mess of legs and arms that only grew more intimate and needful by the moment. Their bodies ground into each other, their raging erections desperately seeking more from the warmth they were creating between them. 

As hard as it was to believe all that was happening, neither could have held back from the pent up lust they’d carried for each other for what felt like an eternity. 

“Can, um... can I taste you?” Ben whispered as he managed to pull away for a moment. 

“You can do whatever you want…” Poe sighed, fully ready to surrender to the craze of everything they’d realized they both miraculously needed to do to each other. 

In a flash Ben threw the covers off of them and had Poe flat on his back. Right away he was down at his waist, his hands planted firmly around his hips as he took his cock into his mouth. 

“Fuck…” Poe muttered as Ben’s plush lips slid down his shaft. His eyes rolled back in his head as a sensation he’d allowed himself to fantasize about more times than he could count came to life- a sensation that was so much more incredible than he ever could have imagined. 

Poe stared wide eyed up at the ceiling as Ben bobbed up and down on him. Though his technique was clearly inexperienced, it was no less incredible than what anyone else’s mouths had ever done to him, simply for the fact of who was doing it. 

Ben began to suck harder as he realized how much Poe was enjoying all he was doing to him. 

“Fuck, fuck- FUCK!” Poe stammered as the sensation nearly overwhelmed him. “Just… hold on-“ He said, diving his fingers in Ben’s hair and pulling him back as he braced against coming to quickly. 

Ben pulled away at Poe’s request, staring up at him as he waited to figure out what he needed to do next. 

“I’m not gonna last long like that-” Poe started to say. 

He was interrupted by the sight of Ben spotting a bud of pre-cum growing on his tip. It was entirely too beautiful for him to resist. Without hesitation, Ben dove back down, his tongue swirling the pearl he’d drawn out around Poe’s tip as his eyes teased him with the hunger of all he wanted to do. 

“Oh… Ben Solo… you are bad aren’t you?” Poe smiled as he savored the sight of his best friend and now lover teasing him while still holding back.

“You have no idea.” Ben growled, climbing back on top of him and kissing his neck- kisses which had Poe’s eyes rolling shut as his back arched up into him. 

“Something tells me you’re gonna give me an idea.” Poe sighed as he relaxed into the feeling of Ben taking control. 

“How do you want it?” Ben whispered into his ear as the warmth of his body surrounded him. 

Poe gasped for a moment from the ecstasy of their closeness. 

If it felt this good just to be close… he couldn’t wait to find out what it felt like to actually connect… 

Connect… how he wanted it…. 

Of course he wanted it however Ben wanted it… 

He wanted it every way he could experience it…

“I’d hope we both get a turn?” He whispered back as he looked up into Ben’s eyes. The smile that caused warmed his heart like few things in life had. God, Ben was so beautiful when he smiled….

Poe reached up and put a hand to Ben’s cheek. Ben’s hand held his wrist as their eyes glowed with the blossoming affection between them. It was truly incredible how after knowing each other their entire lives, being together in this way somehow felt like they were seeing each other for the first time. 

The rush of emotion between them in that moment had Ben’s cock throbbing harder to find the warmth it craved. His body ached with all the needs that had grown from years of repressing the attraction they felt for each other. 

Feeling the size of what was pressing up against him, Poe realized he’d need a substantial amount of warming up before he attempted such a feat.

“Holy _hell… ___I thought _I ___was blessed.” Poe muttered looking down.

Ben couldn't help smiling as he blushed above him. He was used to awed reactions from women, but right away Poe’s reaction became his new favorite. 

“You’re all the blessing I’ll ever need.” Ben said, unsure where the words had come from. Normally he was hardly the poetic type, but being with Poe like this his thoughts flowed more freely than he’d ever remembered. 

The alcohol still very much flowing through his veins hadn’t hurt either… 

“So… do you wanna test that theory out?” Poe smiled shyly, not missing a beat. 

“I definitely do.” Ben said eagerly. 

Before Poe could ask how he wanted to take it, Ben had them rolled over with Poe on top, his long legs spreading apart, welcoming him to do everything he needed to take full advantage of his body. 

Without a word Poe dove down, dipping his tongue into the tightness his cock yearned to be inside of. Though he didn’t quite have what Ben was gifted with, he wasn’t all that far off and would need to make sure Ben was ready for what awaited him. 

Poe’s palms pressed into the back of Ben’s thighs as he folded his legs to his body, forcing his ass to bare itself to him just like he needed it to. Ben moaned from the heavenly warmth of his tongue swirling around and into him. He couldn’t help but reach down to mindlessly stroke his cock, adding even more enjoyment to the otherworldly stimulation. 

Poe couldn’t remember having seen anything so beautiful. 

Ben’s body totally surrendering to him… 

Begging him with everything he had to let his passions consume him… 

Encouraging him to indulge in every fantasy his mind had ever come up with… 

It had him even more determined to figure out how to fit himself into everything he craved- while also making sure Ben thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. 

Right away Poe wetted a finger and dove inside, the tightness of it causing him to bite his lip as he imagined what that serene warmth would feel like on his cock. 

A lower, more desperate moan rolled out of Ben as Poe began fingering his ass. Ben’s eyes were full of wonder as they went back and forth between gazing up at the ceiling and looking down at Poe to enjoy the view of everything he was doing to him. 

After some time Poe felt brave enough to add a second finger. The increased stretch of it had Ben’s mind spinning with the need for what he actually craved. 

“Please…” Ben begged, almost in a whisper. “I… I need...” 

Ben wasn’t quite yet brave enough to finish that sentence, though Poe knew right away what he was getting at. 

“Not just yet …” He couldn’t help but smile devilishly as he said it. “I might not have _quite ___as much as you do but you’ve still got your fair share of dick waiting on you.”

Ben moaned even louder with that thought as his head craned back into the pillow. His eyes clenched shut as Poe found just the perfect spot to hit as he continued getting him ready. 

Having found what he needed to, Poe did his best to tease while not pushing too hard. He wanted to make sure he had Ben warmed up, but being their first time together he didn’t want him losing it too quickly. He desperately needed to feel himself fully inside Ben before he pushed him all the way to his limit. 

After several minutes of gentle yet insistent fingering, Ben’s stomach was glistening with the precum that had begun dripping out of him. His hand had slowed from strokes to slow grasps as he braced against the need to lose it. The last thing he wanted was to get swept away by all that was happening too quickly… 

…and yet in spite of himself, holding back just made everything Poe was doing to him that much more incredible.

Sensing he had Ben right where he needed him, Poe dove his mouth back down one more time to drench the warmth his cock couldn’t wait to be inside of. 

Suddenly Ben remembered something that would help the situation they found themselves in. 

“Check… the inside zipper pocket of my bag…” He said lowly, savoring stimulation of all that Poe’s mouth was doing to him. “There should be some stuff in there you can use.”

Right away Poe did as he asked. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as Ben’s meticulously packed luggage had exactly what he’d hinted at- a stash of lube, accompanied by magnum XL’s just in case. Though Ben’s adolescent shyness had meant he’d lost his virginity a couple years after Poe, his dedication to the craft of lovemaking had seen that he’d caught up in experience in no time. 

“Do you always travel so well stocked?” Poe asked as he climbed back up on the bed. 

“Some necessities never get unpacked, only replaced.” Ben smiled. 

“Did you want me grabbing a condom?” Poe asked, suddenly hesitating. 

Ben’s head leaned forward as he looked at him slightly confused. “Do you _want ___to wear one?!”

“No” Poe smiled. “Just being courteous.” 

“Don’t be.” Ben smiled back. 

A couple minutes later Poe had himself up over Ben. He’d added more than enough lube inside and out, and was finishing coating his cock.

“Don’t use the whole bottle.” Ben said looking down, a bit more impatiently than he meant to sound. 

“I’ll be careful to save you some.” Poe smiled. 

Ben all but glowed as he laid his head back into the pillow. Though his nervousness still had him unable to say some things out loud, the happiness he felt from realizing they were on the same page was more than he knew what to do with. 

Finally the moment came both had waited for. Their eyes were heavy as Poe brought himself between Ben’s legs, nudging his cock to his entrance. The warm, tight, slickness of it had him wanting to dive inside all at once, yet being their first time he knew he’d need to be careful.

“I’m ready…” Ben said heavily, his breath nearly catching in his chest. 

Poe braced a hand on the bed beside Ben to steady himself, never once breaking eye contact. 

Ben’s face lit up as he felt Poe’s fullness beginning to push up into him. 

As their bodies connected for the first time, Poe couldn’t hold back from leaning up for another of the many incredible kisses they’d shared. Right away Ben leaned down to meet him. Their lips met with a fierceness, their tongues swirling around each other as their mouths added to the physical ecstasy of all they were doing. 

Poe couldn’t get enough of the way Ben’s arms wrapped all the way around him as he held him close, his hips opening and his long legs clinging tightly around his body at the same time. Though Ben wasn’t quite ready to say the words out loud, the way every part of his body physically begged him to go deeper told him all he needed to know. 

Slowly Poe began pushing into him, a little more with each gentle thrust, drinking in the closeness of the intimacy they were creating together. 

All at once the rush of it began to overwhelm Ben. He pulled away from their kisses as he laid his head into his pillow, his back arching up with the pleasure growing inside him. 

“How is it?” Poe whispered, slowly peppering kisses down Ben’s sternum.

“It’s wonderful.” Ben sighed, his chest heaving up into Poe’s kisses as he breathed deeply, his mind barely able to process all that was happening. 

“Do you want more yet?” Poe asked, continuing to go as slow as his body would allow. 

“I want… _everything.” ___Ben moaned, his eyes looking down and meeting Poe’s. As their gazes met, Poe could see his eyes were filled with a hunger that promised him he meant every word.

Poe bit his lip as his hips thrust up into him, giving him everything he’d ached to give him all this time. 

Ben clapped a hand over his mouth to hold back from screaming. His head craned back as his shoulders went up, his entire form bracing against the urge to come right away from the sensation of his lover thrusting his cock inside of him to the hilt. 

Poe waited with baited breath for a few moments as he let Ben get used to it. Slowly he felt Ben relaxing onto him. As he waited he reached up and brushed several locks of stray hair out of his face, needing to take in the full sight of his reaction to all he’d been given. 

Ben looked up at him as he struggled to think of what to say to express the whirlwind of emotions surging through him. Feeling their bodies fully connected, he realized sometimes words weren’t needed. 

He pulled Poe close again as he leaned down for more kisses, diving his tongue into his mouth with ten times the fire of what they’d known up to this moment. 

Poe smiled from ear to ear amidst their kisses as he began slowly thrusting in and out, their tongues swirling around each other as their shared passion grew. The moans he forced out of Ben with each thrust echoing into his own mouth drove Poe absolutely wild. 

They’d finally come to the place both had dreamed of for so long. 

Now that they were here, all that was left to do was lose themselves entirely as their bodies made the most of the connection they shared. 

Needing to drive up into him harder, Poe pulled away from their kisses and pressed his face to Ben’s chest, wrapping his arms under him as he held onto his shoulders. The added security of holding him close this way gave him just what he needed to really grind up into him over and over like he wanted to. 

Ben instantly had his hand over his mouth again, stifling the cascade of screams and moans that threatened to burst forth. For Poe, hearing the sounds rumbling out of Ben’s chest as he fucked him deeply and passionately was just icing on an already incredible erotic cake. 

Only one thing could have distracted Poe in that moment… and it was the very thing pushing up into his stomach with an unforgiving rigidity every time their bodies pressed closer. 

A slight anxiety began to grow in him as he thought of what all he’d be taking when it was Ben’s turn... 

“You know what I could use…” Poe said as he propped himself up above Ben, pausing as he looked around the bed. 

Ben looked at him bewildered, wondering what on Earth he could possibly need in addition to the extraordinary moment they found themselves in. 

Poe grabbed the bottle as he spotted where he’s left it, slapping it into Ben’s hand. “…a head start on warming up.” he smiled. With that he fell back into Ben, resuming the passionate fucking he’d been all but lost to just moments before. 

Ben looked at the bottle in his hand as his body shuddered from the pleasure of Poe thrusting up into him again. 

Suddenly the realization hit him of what he’d been asking for. Frantically he drenched his right index finger in lube before diving it down and finding the tightness he’d only been able to imagine up to this point. 

The feeling of Poe moaning up into his chest as he began fingering him nearly had Ben losing it all at once. 

“Holy _fuck…” ___Ben sighed as his palm gripped his perfectly round ass, his finger pushing deeper into him as he kept time with the trusts bobbing in and out of him.

“You’re telling me…” Poe panted. The added stimulation of Ben fingering him had him spiraling further and further, closer to the edge. 

“I’m… not gonna last…. much longer.” Ben groaned as he fought the urge to scream. It was taking everything he had not to throw his head back and yell incoherently into the darkness of the room they shared. 

Had they not been in a hotel surrounded by what were most likely very thin walls, he’d have absolutely done so. 

“Neither am I….” Poe gasped between thrusts. 

Their eyes met just moments before both felt they were about to lose it. Though they desperately wanted to watch each other’s faces as they lost it together, they knew that wasn’t an option if they didn’t want to earn a noise complaint reported to the front desk in the middle of the night. 

Ben grabbed the spare pillow beside him, shoving it long ways between them as their bodies threatened to explode. 

Poe’s face fell into the cool white fabric as he felt the release of ecstasy at the base of his cock beginning to erupt.

God how he wished he could have seen Ben’s cock explode between them at the same time…

Feeling Ben’s warmth pouring out between their bodies was the next best thing, and all at once had him losing it even harder as they both wailed into the pillow. 

The feeling of Poe’s hands gripping up around his shoulders, desperately clutching onto him as his cock poured into him was the most extraordinary thing Ben had ever felt. He came even harder as he reveled in the sensation of his best friend and lover clinging to him as his body come undone with everything he had. 

They weren’t sure how long it lasted, but coming together was easily the greatest sexual experience either had ever had. 

Eventually the room around them fell silent again as their bodies began to come down from the height of their release. 

Ben threw the pillow that had been separating them aside, savoring the sensation of Poe panting on his chest as they both did their best to catch their breath. 

After a few minutes, Ben couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear. 

“So… is it my turn yet?” He asked shamelessly, still glowing form the ecstasy of all they’d just experienced. 

“Give me a moment to catch my breath.” Poe sighed. He wasn’t sure where Ben had found the energy to bounce back so quickly. At the moment he couldn’t get enough of the feeling of melting into Ben. Nothing else in the world mattered beyond making the most of the passionately intimate warmth they’d discovered between them this evening... 

Suddenly Ben felt nervous as he feared he'd misjudged all Poe wanted him doing to him. “Of course... if you’re not up for it… that’s totally ok too.” He stammered awkwardly. 

Poe slowly lifted his head as he looked at Ben. His eyes burned with a determination Ben hadn’t seen from his friend in a long time. 

“Oh- I’m up for it.” He promised, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Just needed a second to see straight again.”

The hunger in Poe’s eyes had Ben’s cock twitching with excitement again almost immediately. 

Both realized their evening was nowhere near over as Poe felt a renewed rigidity pressing between them. 

“Well done man…” He said eyebrows raised. “Blessed appears to be an understatement.”

“You're plenty blessed yourself.” Ben quipped, his confidence momentarily back as his body still humming with the satisfaction he’d been enjoying.

Poe laughed as he shook his head. 

“What?” Ben asked.

“I’m really enjoying getting to know this side of you.” Poe’s eyes all but glowed as he said it. 

“Me too.” Ben beamed. “I mean... getting to know you like this too... which, if there's anything else you want to do...” Ben's combined nervousness and excitement had him rambling beyond the limits of coherent thought.

“We should probably clean up a bit first before round two.” Poe assured him, smiling.

“Oh… right…” Ben replied, a little embarrassed. In all the excitement he'd barely bothered to think the about the logistics of sex.

***** 

Several minutes later the two men were back in bed, ready to dive back into the possibilities of pleasure they’d been discovering between themselves over the past hour. This time both were eager to experience what it felt like to be on the other side of things. 

In an instant Ben was below Poe, folding his legs into his chest up in the same pretzel-like position Poe had him in earlier. 

“Oh _god…” ___Poe moaned as he stared at the ceiling. The feeling of Ben devouring his ass was even more extraordinary than he could have imagined.

Before long Ben had one, then two of his fingers working up inside of him, stretching Poe to his limit while also having him questioning how he’d be able to take much more. 

Sensing him tensing up, Ben knew he’d need a bit more encouragement before he tried giving him all that he had. He continued fingering him as he crawled up around him, laying beside him as he wrapped his free arm under and around him, turning him on his side. 

Poe’s head fell back into his chest as his leg lifted, his body relaxing into the warmth of his embrace as he craved more of what his fingers were giving him. 

Deeper and deeper Ben’s fingers dove, pushing and stretching into the tightness his cock throbbed to be inside of. Ben reveled in the feeling of Poe’s body opening up to him. The warmth and security of his embrace had been exactly what he’d needed to prepare to take all that awaited him. The beautiful moans and gasps his prodding was forcing out of Poe had his cock aching all the more to find what it needed. 

“Let me know when you’re ready.” Ben whispered as he nuzzled into his ear, peppering his neck with the kisses he knew he craved. 

“I’m… ready when you are.” Poe sighed as he craned back into the affection he was receiving. 

“Do you want it like this- on our sides?”

“Yeah… just like this. It’s really nice.”

Ben reached down and brought his cock up to his entrance, covering it with an abundance lubrication to make sure things went as smoothly as possible. He did his best to hold back as he slowly brought it into him. As gentle and tender as Poe had been with him, he wanted to make sure he’d do the same. 

The way Poe’s body arched from the pleasure of his cock pushing into him made Ben realize just what a challenge it would be to hold back from doing all he wanted to do. He planted a hand on Poe’s hip as he braced him self from coming too quickly, easing himself into him as slowly and as cautiously as he possibly could. 

Gradually he felt Poe opening up to him, his body relaxing back into his embrace a little more with each hesitant push. After some time his back was pressing into his chest, their breathing synching up as their bodies found a slow undulating rhythm between them. 

“Is it ok?” Ben asked, desperately needing feedback. 

“It’s incredible.” Poe moaned, by now all but swept away with what Ben was doing to him. 

“Let me know if you need more.” Ben said trying not to sound too eager, doing his best to hold back while his body screamed with the need to charge ahead. 

After another minute or so, he finally heard the words he’d craved to hear. 

“Go ahead…. I can take it.” Poe said breathlessly, his own body aching to be ravaged beyond reason. 

“You’re sure?” Ben said upping his intensity while still not going full out. 

“Yes… please….” Poe begged, pushing his hips back into him to let him know he needed everything he had to give.

All at once Ben thrust into him as deeply as he could, his hips pressing into his ass as his cock buried itself fully. 

Poe gasped as he felt Ben’s cock stretching his body to his limit. He pushed his head back against Ben’s chest as his core did it’s best to elongate itself, making the most of everything that had just pushed inside of him. 

His eyes went wide for a moment as he breathed heavily, struggling against the urge to come right away. He remembered the look on Ben’s face when he’d done the same, and realized just how impressive it was Ben had held back as long as he had. 

“You alright?” Ben asked right away.

“Yeah.” Poe grinned. “I’m _great.” ___

Ben smiled shyly at the affirmation. “So you want me to keep going?” He asked, unable to hold back from the impatience growing inside him by the second.

“Don’t stop.” Poe sighed, by now fully resigned to his primal need to have Ben do everything he could possibly do to him.

Slowly Ben began grinding in and out of him again, the warmth and strength of his large hands surrounding his hips as he pushed his body as far as he could take it. 

Poe turned his head back to kiss him, kisses which Ben dove in to every bit as passionately as he was fucking him. Poe drank in the added closeness of their kisses as his body further surrendered to all Ben was doing.

“More….” Poe pulled away to say, just above a whisper

Ben didn’t need to be told twice. 

He pumped his cock into him deeper and harder, increasing his intensity bit by bit with each thrust, until he was finally fucking Poe with everything he had. 

Poe gripped the bed below them, his jaw tightening against the urge to scream as he braced back against the rush of everything Ben was doing. If they’d been making love before, now they were full on fucking each other with the heated passion of everything they’d held back for so long. 

The sexual endurance they’d gained from a second round came in handy as they pushed themselves further and further into the depths of their shared desire. The harder Ben thrust, the more Poe’s body opened up to him, begging him to give more and more of all he was able to deliver. 

Feeling how Poe’s body canted into him as their lust for each other grew, Ben reached out and grabbed the pillow they’d both used to scream into earlier, knowing Poe might need it soon. 

“Here…” He said bringing it in front of him. “Don’t hold back… just scream into this.... I don’t want… you to have to hold back this time.” 

Poe welcomed the much needed relief of a sound muffler as he howled into it. 

Ben closed his eyes, a wide smile lighting up his face as he savored the suppressed sounds of Poe’s screams. The deep, guttural shouts his body was forcing out of Poe were some of the most beautiful things he’d ever heard. He’d fantasized plenty of times about having the chance to make his best friend scream like this, but now that it was finally happening all at once it became more overwhelming than anything he’d experienced up to that point. 

Without warning Ben felt himself begin to erupt from the inside out. He plunged his cock as deeply into Poe as he could as his body emptied itself a second time, releasing what little it had left. Right away the shock of it had Poe coming as well. His body trembled and writhed beside him as Ben held onto him tightly, turning his head to scream into his own pillow as the ecstasy of their shared release overwhelmed them once more. 

They weren’t sure how long it lasted, but their second combined climax in the same night of discovering their feelings of each other had both men pushed past the limits of conscious thought. The screams pouring out of them were all that existed for several moments that seemed to stretch past the laws of space and time. As their sounds of their shouts gradually faded to moans, and their moans drifted to quiet panting, their minds and bodies sang with a heightened level of happiness neither had ever known possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. That smut was supposed to be just a quick scene at the beginning of the chapter, but it ended up sprawling into an entire chapter of it's own. Bless these boys. They're just too hot for me to even know what to do with half the time... 
> 
> That was my first ever attempt at writing about a first time between two men. I was a little nervous about writing it since, as a woman it's not my area of expertise lol. I hope it didn't disappoint! 
> 
> For all the Reylos following along, I swear this story is in fact just as much about the pairing between them and the ladies. We just needed some very heavy sexual tension set up before they meet those two.... 
> 
> Speaking of which, we should be seeing them pretty quickly next chapter. Most of the next chapter is written, I just have to do some prettying up and editing before it's ready to go. Keep an eye out as it should be posted in the next few days.
> 
> Hope you all are enjoying this story so far! I know I am!


	3. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Poe relish in the idea that their feelings for each other are mutual while getting ready to meet the pair they're set to collaborate with.
> 
> Of course, both men are totally bewildered when Rey and Jannah turn out to both be the women of their dreams.
> 
>   
> [](https://ibb.co/fM9GhLv)

Neither Ben nor Poe could guess how long they lay holding each other before they were able to form conscious thoughts again. All that mattered in those moments was the realization that the two of them had found something both had dreamed of finding their entire lives- the warmth and security of another person’s arms that made them feel truly at home. 

“How are you feeling?” Ben finally asked shyly, hoping it had been as good for Poe as it had been for him. 

“Incredible.” Was all Poe to think to say, a smile lighting up his face. The warmth of it was something he could feel throughout his entire body. 

After a few more moments of contented silence, Poe said what was on both of their minds as he felt the wholeness of Ben filing him slowly fading. 

"We’d better clean up…”

“Guess we have to.” Ben sighed, smiling. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to stop smiling again after all that had happened. 

Several minutes later both men crawled back into bed together. Right away they were in each other’s arms again as they’d been before. Both found themselves immediately relaxing into the newfound warmth and closeness they couldn’t get enough of. 

For a few moments both held onto each other, their eyes closed as they reveled in the joy of thinking about all they’d just done. 

“Have you ever had feelings for other men?” Poe couldn’t hold back from asking. His own lack of feelings for other men had been something he’d wondered about for years. After all that had just happened, he had to know the truth of it. 

Ben thought about it for a few moments. The answer wasn’t one that came quickly. 

Truth be told his lack of noticing other men was as confusing as the very strong attraction he’d felt for Poe most of his life. 

“There was probably like, some natural curiosity here and there...” He finally said as his thoughts came together. “…but nothing like this. Nothing like… really having _actual ___feelings for anyone.”

“Yeah… me to.” Poe said lost in thought. “I kind of always wondered why that was.”

Ben lay in silence, equally mystified. As confusing as it was, the realization that his best friend hadn’t been attracted to any other men the way he was to him was a beautiful as any of the revelations they’d just shared. 

Waves of introspection began washing over him as he held Poe a little tighter.

He clearly remembered when he’d first started noticing girls. 

That had been around the same time he started noticing himself having more than just feelings of friendship for Poe.

Unfortunately growing up together in the south, views of LGBTQ individuals still had a _long ___way to go during their childhood and adolescence. While young boys were always expected to be and cheered on for chasing after girls, they weren’t in any way encouraged to follow the sorts of feelings they had for each other.

As confusing as those feelings for Poe had been, he’d also had his first couple of crushes on girls at the time, leading his younger self to believe that’s what he “should” be focusing on. 

Like most young loves, none of Ben’s earliest crushes on girls were ever requited. As soon as one disappointment became evident he’d move on to the next, hopeful that something might work out. Eventually he’d met girls as into himself as he was into them. He’d gone on his first dates, which led to first high school girlfriends, which led to more intimate relationships in college- and so his love life as an assumedly straight man had grown from there.

Poe was the one constant that remained.

He was the first and only man he’d ever had feelings for. 

The more Ben thought about it… it suddenly became abundantly clear why. 

After what had just happened combined with what they knew of each other’s history, it was clear they were attracted to both sexes equally. 

However they’d never been attracted to other men- having found exactly what they wanted in a male companion early on. 

He couldn’t help but laugh to himself as the simplicity of it suddenly became clear. 

“What’s so funny?” Poe asked, looking up at him. 

“I guess…. When all you’ve ever known is perfection… nothing else really compares.” Ben said contentedly as he looked back down at him. “The more I think about it- it makes sense we’ve never had strong feelings for other men. Anyone else we might have met that we were attracted to- none of them compared to what we already had.” 

Poe propped himself up on his elbow on the bed next to Ben, looking a bit blown away by that thought. 

“That’s… wow… that’s a really beautiful way of putting it.” He’s said, awestruck by Ben’s ability to put his feelings into words. He couldn’t believe how much sense that made. “When did you get so poetic?”

“I guess... being around you I’m able to think clearer. Well, in some ways. In other ways… I guess we’re starting to figure that part out. Not that that’s a bad thing, that’s a really, really good thing…” Ben figured he’d better stop talking before he said too much.

“I know what you mean.” Poe couldn’t help but chuckle. Ben’s newfound ability to be poetic and his familiar tendency to ramble appeared to go hand in hand. 

In that moment Poe thought of another question that would need to be answered sooner than later. 

As well as he knew Ben, making sure he was comfortable with everything would be the most important thing to keep in mind as they figured out what they had together. 

“So how do you want to go about this…” He asked, making sure to keep his tone as casual as possible. “Do you want to tell anyone right away? Or just take things slow at first and keep it between us?”

Ben folded his hands behind his head, laying silently as he stared up at the ceiling thinking about it. 

He hadn’t even thought about the rest of the world outside of their hotel room just yet…

All that mattered was what he had right here…

Right now, that was all he wanted to think about. 

As he faced the thought of telling others, self-doubt began to creep in. 

If Poe was asking whom they should tell… maybe he was worried about telling anyone too soon… 

Maybe he wanted to take things slow…

If he had to ask, he couldn’t help but think that had to be the case.

The last thing Ben wanted to do was rush into anything and ruin what they’d just found together. He chewed his lip for a moment as he thought of how best to respond. 

“We can take things slow… It’s kind of exciting just having it be our secret, at least for now.” He finally said.

Poe smiled. That was about what he’d expected. 

“Cool with me.” He said, laying back on Ben’s chest to stare up at whatever it was about the ceiling he appeared to be fascinated by. 

The more Ben thought about it, the more he convinced himself going slow was the right thing to do. 

If it had taken this long to figure out they had feelings for each other, figuring out what they _really ___had between them might take a long time too.

It only made sense to take things slow… so they didn’t end up rushing into too much too soon. 

Telling people they were together, then one of them deciding to just remain friends would be more painful than Ben cared to think about… 

He tried to shake that thought from his mind. 

He couldn’t even begin to think about that at this point. 

As he did, he realized that was just one more reason to take things slow. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Poe away by getting too serious too fast. 

As they laid together, both men came to terms with the fact that ignoring the urge to share their feelings for each other with the world was the right thing to do for now. They’d be ready to tell people someday… Until then, they’d wait to make sure the other was ready first. 

Yawning, Poe realized they’d come to another part of the night their bodies could no longer avoid. “I guess we need to get some sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, we do.” Ben sighed happily, feeling his eyes getting heavier. 

Poe turned over and pulled the covers up around his shoulders as he cuddled back into him more. Ben wrapped his arms around him again and held him tight, drinking in the closeness between them. 

Both immediately relaxed into the feeling

Neither could remember having felt so at peace…

In minutes both men had fallen into a deep, much needed sleep. 

*****

When their alarms went off hours later, it was clear right away that neither had avoided the hangovers they’d both fully earned. 

“Oh god what did we do….” Poe moaned, rubbing his forehead as he silenced his alarm. 

“We had a fantastic night.” Ben yawned, throwing his phone back on the nightstand then getting right back to the cuddles his alarm had so rudely interrupted.

Poe’s eyes shot open wide feeling the warmth of Ben’s arms wrapping tighter around him. 

God if that wasn’t the most _heavenly ___feeling he’d ever woken up too…

“Yeah… we did.” Poe replied beaming. 

Ben’s eyes suddenly opened as he turned to look down at him. The sight of Poe holding onto him first thing in the morning was _everything. ___

“I’m really gonna enjoy getting used to this.” He smiled, his eyes closing as he settled back into his pillow. “That is… as long as you’re up for making it a regular thing.”

“As amazing as these cuddles are, you’re never getting rid of me. It’s a shame we even have to get up as great as this feels.” 

“Unfortunately… it _is ___a work day, and we’ve got a meeting to make it to.” Ben couldn’t help but sound a little disappointed as he said it.

“Right…” Poe tried to think of what all they needed to do to appear presentable in public. “Do you want to shower first while I go grab breakfast, or the other way around?”

Ben’s eyes opened again as he looked down at him. Right away he thought of a much better idea. 

“Well… we could head to the lobby and grab breakfast… _together… ___then shower… _together.” ___He smiled.

“Oh RIGHT!” Poe lit up as he said it. “We can do that now!”

“Yeah, we can.” Ben said beaming. 

The two men kissed before slowly rolling out of bed to get ready to start their day. 

*****

Having taken enough Advil to match the pain killing power of anesthesia and drank the amount of coffee required too pretend to be functioning adults, a little while later Ben and Poe were on their way to Heartsong Brewing. Somehow they’d actually managed not to be running late in spite of how sluggish they felt. Their one saving grace was the natural boost in energy that came from the emotions of the night they’d shared together. The clarity of mind that had given them had them even more excited to face the day than they ever could have been otherwise. 

As Ben pushed the door open to come into the brewery, he spotted a brunette with her back to them sitting at the bar. She appeared to be immersed in work on her laptop, not having heard them come in.

Ben cleared his throat to alert her to their presence. 

“Hi- we’re looking for Jannah and Rey?”

The woman jumped as she realized she wasn’t alone. 

Turning around, the startled look on her face suddenly melted in to the most gorgeous smile Ben had ever seen. He all but forgot how to breathe as she began to speak.

“Well, you’ve found one of us! I'm Rey. ” She beamed. As if her mind blowing smile wasn’t incredible enough, she spoke with a crisp British accent that made Ben’s knees week. 

Poe side eyed his friend who appeared frozen in place. Knowing Ben as well as he did, it was obvious Rey was his dream woman come to life. 

“Good to finally meet you in person, Rey.” Poe said, coming forward. “I’m Poe and this is my buddy Ben.” Right away he made sure to shake her hand, while looking back and eyeing Ben to let him know to come out of whatever stupor he found himself in. 

Just as Ben shook himself from the awestruck state Rey’s presence had caused, the other co-owner of Heartsong Brewing came in.

“And I’m Jannah!” The woman said, her accent every bit as foreign and alluring as her partner’s. 

Poe suddenly found himself as floored as Ben had been just a few moments before, his eyes coming to terms with the divine creature that had appeared out of nowhere. 

After several seconds he realized he was still holding onto Rey’s hand, even though the normal time for a handshake had come to and end. 

By now Rey had a look on her face that made it clear she was trying not to giggle. 

He quickly let go and hurried to switch places with Ben to greet the goddess that had just entered the room. 

“I’m Poe.” He said taking Jannah’s hand and shaking it firmly. 

“Good to meet you Poe.” Jannah smiled, in a way that made Poe feel like she saw right through him. As unnerving as that should have been considering the circumstances, Poe couldn’t help but love every second of it. 

“And... the tall and silent fellow that’s joined you this morning?” Jannah said, nodding towards Ben with a slightly teasing tone. She didn’t miss for a moment that Poe had forgotten to introduce his business partner. She also didn’t get the feeling Poe was the kind of man that found himself lost for words often. 

Poe looked back at Ben, praying he’d somehow find the ability to speak again as he'd mostly forgotten how to himself. 

“BEN” He blurted out, finally finding the strength to reach to take Rey’s had and shake it. “I’m Ben.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Ben.” Rey said. 

If Ben didn’t know any better, he’d have thought her eyes glowed brighter as they’re hands touched. It definitely felt as though his own were doing the same.

“It is _really ___wonderful to meet you too...” He sighed wistfully.

Poe did his best not to laugh to his friend’s total inability to play it cool in front of a woman who’d taken his breath away. This was a professional meeting after all- and the last thing either of them wanted to do was was to make it obvious just how mesmerized they were by the women they’d just met. 

Not that any of it mattered… 

Even if Rey and Jannah hadn’t mentioned they were married in their emails- their matching wedding rings were something Ben and Poe would have spotted a mile away. 

“You two alright with some samples to sip on this early in the morning?” Jannah asked eyeing her partner. Both women couldn’t help but grin at the shared realization of how lost for words the gorgeous men in front of them appeared to be. 

“Normally yes- but this morning water might be better.” Poe admitted. “We stopped by last night after getting into town. Safe to say Connix and Jayelle made sure we got our fill.”

“Oh did they?” Rey smirked. 

“Those two _do ___know how to spot a pair in need of refreshment.” Jannah said flatly.

Rey bit her lip to stifle a giggle. In typical Jannah fashion, it was clear her wife was going to have as much fun with this as she possibly could.

As the two women went behind the bar to grab waters for the four of them, Ben and Poe couldn’t help staring at each other wide eyed. 

They weren’t sure what they’d expected of the two women they had planned to collaborate with, but it _definitely ___hadn’t been their literal dream women…

Jannah had a cascade of braids that sprang forth from her head to down just past her shoulders, and dark eyes Poe would have happily got lost in for the rest of his life. Her confidant air made it clear she had fierce energy about her- exactly the kind that drove Poe wild. 

Rey had a dark free flowing mess of waves that framed her face perfectly, as well as bright hazel eyes that felt like they pierced Ben’s soul whenever she looked at him. By the pause she took when she first spotted him inside the brewery, if Ben didn’t know better he might have thought his presence had the same affect on her. 

It only figured... 

The night after he and Poe had made love for the first time and were _finally ___together as they’d always imagined- the two most gorgeous women they’d ever seen would come into their lives.

…and they were _together. ___

After a few moments Jannah and Rey were back on the other side of the bar. They set the waters down they’d brought out on a table as they took seats to get started. 

“You two are more than welcome to join us.” Rey teased, unable to hold back a grin at how adorably astounded both men still appeared to be.

The two did their best to hurry over and join them, taking the seats across from them as quickly as they could.

“So, Ben and Poe of Darkpilot Brewing, I guess we should get started!” Jannah smirked, clapping her hands together. “We’re both _very ___happy to have you guys here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the fun begins....❤️


	4. A Small World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben learns something he never expected about Rey as she and Jannah share what brought them from England to Appalachia. In spite of what otherwise would be an awkward association, Ben can't help but be even more drawn to her than before.
> 
> [](https://ibb.co/gw96YYb)  
> 

“First things first though…” Jannah said looking at Ben, “We didn’t want to ask this until we met you two in person. The name "Dark Pilot" had us wondering- is Solo a common name in the South? Or are you related to the Solo’s of Rebellion Aviation?”

Rey couldn’t help but bite her lip nervously. Rebellion was the largest commercial airline manufacturer in the US, and was located a few hours away in Durham, NC. Ben sharing the same last name as one of the families who’d owned it had been something she’d noticed right away in his emails. She had hoped that question might come up later in the conversation- but as always Jannah preferred charge into things headfirst. 

“Solo isn’t a common name in the south… no.” Ben answered honestly. Somehow his family always had way of coming up. “It’s an Italian name, my dad’s from up north. To answer your question though, my mom and dad are Han and Leia Solo, formerly of Rebellion Aviation.”

Jannah smiled at having guessed right. “So what brought you to the mountains? I thought your people would be around the Triad?”

Ben’s mother and father leaving the industry was a subject he rarely discussed with anyone- least of all people they’d just met. 

“We’re all from that part of the state originally." Poe explained, knowing it would be easier for Ben if he jumped in. "Ben’s uncle Luke still runs Rebellion and lives in Durham with Mara and their kids. Luke and Leia ran it together for a while after their parents passed. Eventually Leia decided she wanted a quieter life and sold her half to Luke. She and Han moved to Asheville and brought my mom and dad with them. That’s why Ben and I grew up in the mountains.”

“Small world....” Jannah noted.

“You two into planes?” Poe asked, surprised they knew so much about Ben’s family. Though Rebellion was a household name, few people were familiar enough with it to know the families who owned it. 

“You could say that…” Rey said, suddenly having a mysteriously hard time making eye contact. 

“Do you want to tell them or should I?” Jannah asked quietly.

“I think I can handle it.” Rey assured her. 

Rey took a deep breath. She knew this would come as a bit of a bombshell to the adorably awkward man that appeared to be totally smitten with her. She made sure to look Ben in the eye as she said it. Her heart needed him to see just how genuine she was being with him, in spite of what were somewhat awkward circumstances. 

“I don’t tell anyone my actual name unless they have to know it.” Rey explained. “Most people nowadays know me as Rey Johnson. My real name is Rheanna Palpatine.”

“As in… the Palpatine’s of Empire Industries?” Poe asked, side eying Ben to gauge his reaction.

“None other.” Rey answered. 

Ben’s stomach dropped as he realized who was sitting in front of him.

Empire was Rebellion’s major competitor in the commercial airline industry- and Rey had once been heir to all of it. 

_That’s a girl with a good head on her shoulders. ___His mother had said when they’d heard of her choice to sell her family’s company and live out of the public eye.

How she’d had found her way to the same remote part of the world he called home home, he couldn’t begin to imagine.

“How did you two end up in Boone?” Poe asked, already on the same page. “There’s got to be a story there.” 

“It’s your story to tell.” Jannah said nodding to her wife.

“Bit of a sad story… and a long one… but, one with a happy ending.” Rey explained. 

“We’d love to hear it- that is, if you’re ok with telling it.” Ben blurted out, suddenly finding the ability to speak again. 

Poe did his best not to laugh. Even finding out the daughter of his family’s biggest industry competitor was sitting right across from him, Ben still couldn’t hide the fact that he wanted to know every single thing there was to know about her. 

“I suppose you both know well enough where it started.” Rey began. “At the time of my parents accident, Jannah and I had just been married a year and were living in London. One day I was the daughter of the CEO of a major corporation, being prepared to follow in my father’s footsteps. The next I found myself an orphan, inheriting something I suddenly wanted nothing to do with. I decided to sell Empire and get as far away from England and everything I’d ever known as soon as possible.” She took her wife’s hand as she came to the next part. “It was hard knowing what to do with myself next, but Jannah helped me figure out my next steps. We traveled a lot at first. A constantly changing view helped numb the pain for a while. That only lasted so long though. Eventually we realized we needed to put down roots somewhere- to belong somewhere. I just knew it couldn’t be England, not for a while. We both decided we wanted to go somewhere totally new. Jannah, you can tell what happened next.”

“My dad is from the states.” Jannah explained. “He met my mum while stationed in England in the Air Force and settled there with her. My mum had passed away from cancer a few years prior to Rey’s parents-“ 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Poe spoke up

“Thank you.” Jannah smiled. “After losing her, dad hadn’t been the same. He missed his family here terribly but had stayed in the UK to be near me. Having both lost parents we knew how important it was to stay connected to family. When Rey wanted to start over and head somewhere totally new, I knew it was time to take dad home. He’s from Columbia in South Carolina originally. I’d visited plenty of times and thought I knew what to expect. We joined him there initially, but being a queer couple and being a black woman actually living in the south was a bit of a culture shock. Dad knew what to expect and had warned us, but no one can really make you understand culture shock until you truly live it.”

“The heat certainly didn’t help things.” Rey added.

“That I can believe.” Ben replied. Central South Carolina was hardly the most socially advanced place, and its scorching summers were miserable even for natives. He couldn’t imagine what relocating there must have been like for two Londoners.

“To get a break from all that,” Jannah went on, “Rey and I started taking drives to get out of town to explore the part of the world we’d adopted as our new home. Heading to the mountains quickly became our favorite, Boone especially. We decided why not make it a permanent move? It’s only 3 hours from Columbia so we’re still close to dad. We both love winter, so Boone was our first choice. Rey especially loves skiing. Growing up her favorite memories were her family’s annual trip to Switzerland each Christmas.”

“You ski?!” Ben asked. Somehow Rey was getting more and more perfect by the moment. 

“We both do.” Rey confirmed. “I taught Jannah as soon as I could get her to a mountain with snow. She’s a fast learner.”

“Huh…” Poe smiled. He would love to see just how fast a learner she was.

“Guessing Boone’s a bit of a letdown after Switzerland?” Ben could only imagine Boone’s mountains were nothing compared to the Alps.

“We had no illusions about that.” Rey laughed. “We were just glad to find any snow at all in the southeastern U.S.. I’ve never actually lived anywhere I could ski all winter, so anything at all is better than what I’m used to having. Switzerland will always be there, but it will never be home. We’ll take what we can get in this part of the world.”

“Well said.” Poe agreed. 

“Where were we…” Jannah tried to sort all the details they’d just covered. “Oh right! Moving to Boone. So we ended up here. The first year or so we tried just about every hobby two people could to occupy our time. We got a little stir crazy. We realized pretty quickly we needed a real challenge to occupy our time.”

Rey jumped in to explain the rest. “Brewing together was one of the things we took to right away. We both love cooking and combining flavors, so brewing is a natural extension of that. Jannah is an engineer by trade, and safe to say my formal education was in business administration. We decided to channel all of our talents into a small business to see where it would take us.” 

“That is… some story.” Ben sighed a bit wistfully, not meaning to. 

Luckily Rey didn’t seem to notice. 

“Thankfully it had a happy ending.” She said, smiling at her wife. “Very few people get to live their dream working with their best friend.”

“We understand that.” Poe said, looking at Ben. As their eyes met, a fire sparked in them the two women knew well.

The sight immediately warmed the women’s hearts. They hadn’t known the two men were together, but it was impossible for anyone to miss that look. 

“Enough about us though, how long have you two been together?” Rey asked, eager to hear more about their story. 

Totally oblivious to her meaning, Poe answered right away. “We grew up together. Our families are super close. My parents and his were best friends long before we were born. When Han and Leia moved to Asheville, we pretty much all went as one unit.”

“I think dad’s words were _Damnit Leia! I’m not running off to the mountains without Kes! ___and she was like _Well, Han! By all means we can make that happen!" ___Ben couldn’t help but laugh as he imitated his parent’s signature bickering style.

“If you ever met the Solos… that sort of exchange will make sense.” Poe muttered.

“Oh you grew up together?” Jannah exclaimed. “That’s precious! Now that’s a story we need to hear!”

“Absolutely!” Rey agreed. “So when did the two of you actually get together?”

“Do you mean when did we start our brewery?” Poe asked nervously.

The two women look at each other confused. 

“No, like... _together, ___together?” Jannah said, clarifying.

Ben and Poe weren’t sure what to say to that. They’d never expected to be seen through so quickly. 

After a few moments of coming to terms with what had just happened, Poe knew he’d need to say something. 

“Oh! No, we’re not together like that, just best friends. Right man?” He said patting Ben on the back. 

“Exactly, _exactly.” ___Ben said a little too insistently.

Jannah and Rey looked a bit bewildered for a moment, unsure how they could have misread that. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Jannah spoke up right away. “We didn’t mean to assume-“

“No, no, it’s fine…” Ben said trying to act natural. “That’s… that’s not a wrong thing to assume. I mean we’re not together… not like that, but… it’s not wrong of you to… you know, think that could be the case.” He stared at his lap as he finished, knowing his words had sounded every bit as unconvincing as they’d felt to say them. 

Poe rubbed his eyes at Ben’s the miserable save. 

It took everything Rey and Jannah had not to chuckle in that moment. 

By the looks of it, their getting together was a _very ___recent occurrence- one they weren’t quite ready to share with the world yet. It explained plenty about the two intriguing characters they found sitting in front of them.

Suddenly Rey heard Jannah clear her throat to break the awkward silence. 

“So, _not ___together then…” Jannah said taking a sip of her water. By now she’d noticed neither of them were wearing rings. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to confirm what she already suspected. “Two men as beautiful as yourselves must have sweethearts back in Asheville?”

Rey did her best to hold back a smile. Leave it to Jannah to know just what to say to their new colleagues who appeared to be as sexually confused as they were incredible to look at. 

Poe swallowed hard as he thought of what to say. He knew there wasn’t a chance in hell Ben would know how to respond to such an inquiry, not that he had much of an idea himself…

“Well, you know…” Poe muttered trying to sound unfazed. “Asheville is… kind of a hard scene to date in. Neither one of us has had the luck of finding the right woman yet.” 

“So it’s… _just ___women then for you two, then?” Jannah said without missing a beat.

Rey subtly kicked her wife under the table, a gesture which Jannah had expected. 

It was more than a little forward, even for herself. 

The two men looked wide eyed for a moment, a reaction both women had fully expected. 

“Oh- oh yeah, _definitely.” ___Ben said, ironically sounding more confident than he had all morning while also unable to avoid looking right at Rey as he spoke. “We’re both definitely into women. We love women.”

Somehow it was an even more miserable save than the one he’d previously attempted. 

Poe sighed heavily, doing his best not to die right on the spot. 

“Well… that’s wonderful for you two.” Jannah said, betraying nothing in her tone. 

Rey looked away for a moment, covering her mouth as she hid an amused giggle. As terrible as her wife was behaving, this was proving to be the most entertaining business meeting they’d ever had. 

The two men looked at each other utterly lost, hoping the other had some clue what to say to Jannah’s quick reply. From the looks on their faces they had no such luck. It was clear neither had any idea what was going on, and by the looks of it, things weren’t going to get any more understandable from here on out. 

“You know what…” Poe finally spoke up, looking at his water glass. “Perhaps we should have taken you up on that offer for some morning beers. I’m suddenly in the mood for more… robust refreshment.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Jannah replied, smiling from ear to ear.

*****

That evening Ben and Poe headed to their favorite high country BBQ joint for dinner. Woodlands BBQ was just what both needed to recharge after what had been a long and interesting day of kicking off a new collaboration. 

“So, work stuff aside, Rey and Jannah… Did you expect _any ___of that?” Poe said as he began tearing into basket of wings.

“I think my mind is still recovering.” Ben sighed.

Poe smirked, remembering how smitten Ben had appeared around Rey all afternoon.

“If I’m honest you had me worried there for a sec. The way you kept eyeing Rey… I thought you’d definitely give yourself away. Of course… the way she was eyeing you, if I didn’t know better, I’d have almost thought the feeling was mutual.”

“Jannah wasn’t _exactly ___keeping her eyes off you either...”

“Was she now? I hadn’t noticed…” He lied, smiling. He wasn’t about to flatter himself into thinking it was anything more than a fellow industry professional’s hospitality. If Jannah and Rey had been single maybe he’d have hoped… but he knew better than that.

Ben thought to say something, but paused as he couldn’t help but smile to himself. 

As much as his and Poe’s relationship had changed in the past 24 hours, it was good to see some things were still the same. Though the circumstances were entirely different, they were still teasing each other about two women they’d just met that had caught their eye…. as if it was any other casual conversation between friends over dinner.

As he thought about it, it felt a little _too ___familiar.

As different as the circumstances were, it shouldn’t have gone at all the way it did.

“The more I think about it… the harder it is to figure out.” Ben finally said. “It almost felt like they were flirting with us…” 

“How do you mean?” Poe asked, trying not to sound too convinced. 

Ben tried to think of how to explain it appropriately.

“Like… the way they asked how long we’d been together. I could have sworn they saw right through us. They definitely knew something was up… They seemed... a lot less reserved after that. It kind of felt like they might actually be flirting with us. Did you get that feeling?”

Poe knew right away what he was talking about. At their age it was impossible to miss what appeared to be flirtation from someone they found to be attractive. Naturally part of him had the same suspicion. He couldn’t help but feel like something else had been going on besides four professionals collaborating. 

Of course, as nonsensical as that sounded, he wasn’t anywhere near ready to admit that just yet.

“Nah...” He shook his head. “That’s definitely not it. They had a super genuine vibe. They didn’t seem at all like the type to test people. I’m sure they were just being nice. It’s probably just a woman thing.”

“Huh… I guess.” Ben sighed. 

The older he got, the more Ben realized the truth of something his father had always told him growing up. Women really were the most confusing creatures on the planet.

*****

Across town, Jannah and Rey had just sat down to dinner in their home on Howard’s Knob.

What Ben and Poe didn’t know was that the two women they couldn’t begin to figure out were in fact far more open minded about the many forms of love than they realized. While they were madly in love with each other, both were also attracted to men. Neither had any delusions about their shared love for the opposite sex, and salivating over men who peaked their interest was just one of the many things they bonded over. 

“So- today’s meeting? Talk about a delightful surprise!” Jannah noted pouring them each a glass of saison to go with dinner. 

“You’re telling me!” Rey said, happily taking her glass. “I don’t think I’ve seen more sexual tension in a room since… well… now that I think of it… I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it. I wasn’t sure if they wanted to fuck each other or us.”

Both women broke out into laughter. 

“What’s that saying people use around here?” Jannah piped up. “The _deer in the headlights ___looks on their faces... Somehow that just made them even more adorable.”

“The poor things, they did look a little in over their head…” Rey said with a tinge of sympathy.

“Two devastatingly gorgeous men… suddenly questioning their sexuality in all the right ways? Truly a sob story for the ages...” Jannah scoffed 

“You know what I mean.” Rey smiled.

“Oh I know _exactly ___what you mean. Best friends who just fell in love, stumbling across two extraordinary bi-poly women such as ourselves… what ever will they do?! The poor lads...”

“I suppose we should let them worry about it for a bit…” Rey giggled. “Let them figure out whatever it is they really want to do with themselves?” 

“Cheers to that.” Jannah said lifting her glass. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this plays out.”

Their glasses clinking, both women smiled from ear to ear.

“Cheers to that.” Rey agreed.

*****

The moment the door of their hotel room shut behind them that evening, Ben and Poe couldn’t wait to tear into each other again. Holding back about their relationship around others had made them even more eager to rip each other’s clothes off than they’d been the night before. 

As confusing and new as exploring their feelings for each other was, neither regretted a thing as they lay in each other’s arms an hour or two later. The feelings of intimacy and affection they’d found together were more beautiful than anything in their lives up to that point.

Of course, there did happen two _other ___very beautiful thoughts both were having at the same time as they relaxed in their shared afterglow.

Laying against Ben’s chest, Poe couldn’t help thinking about all the ways Jannah had charmed him throughout the day. There was nothing he loved more than a woman who kept him on his toes... and Jannah was above and beyond anything he'd ever experienced in that respect.

As Ben lay holding him, his mind spun with a million thoughts about the extraordinary woman that had just come into his life. The few things he’d heard about the mysterious Rhaenna Palpatine growing up had always made her feel like someone so… far off… other worldly even, not like anyone he’d ever have the chance to met in real life. And yet suddenly she’d become a very real part of his world- Rey, as she preferred to be called- a serendipitous half of a collaboration duo he’d been looking forward to working with for some time...

God, just thinking of her name brought a smile to his face…

Realizing how silent both of them had been for some time, Poe began to suspect he wasn’t the only one thinking about who they’d met that day. 

The more he thought about it, he had to know the truth of it. Being together in this way felt like they were getting to know totally new sides of each other. He couldn’t wait to learn everything there was to know about this side of Ben.

“Can I ask you something?” He said, breaking the silence. 

“You know you can ask me anything.” Ben replied. 

“Are you thinking about Rey?” 

Ben sighed contentedly. Poe really did know him better than anyone in the universe.

“Yeah, I am.” He answered honestly, unable to hold back a smile. “Are you thinking about Jannah?

“How could I not?” He admitted, looking up at him.

As weird as that should have felt to reveal to each other, both couldn’t help but laugh. It turned out after all these years of friendship, both still had a lot more in common with each other than they had ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben's awkwardness and Jannah's snark are giving me so much life. This one is going to be a lot of fun to write... Let's hope these boys can figure out what to do with themselves before too long!

**Author's Note:**

> ❤️Don't forget to water your fanfics! Words of encouragement are what keep inspiration magic flowing. ❤️
> 
> Kudos are always lovely, but what really sets an author's soul on fire is getting a comment that someone is enjoying our work. If you're liking this story and want to see more, let me know in the comments! I love hearing my readers are enjoying a story every step of the way!
> 
> Need more edits and stories? Say hi on Twitter! 
> 
> [ ](https://ibb.co/1Q2sJVW)  
> 


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